The massive spike in online searches for sourdough from 2020 is over, but interest for bakery and patisserie products with this natural leavener remains high. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, we saw home bakers’ interest in sourdough peaking. Now consumers are hoping to find sourdough applications in shops as well. Sourdough fits in with the fermented product hype, making it perfect for product differentiation. Sourdough is considered a special and indulging end product. It offers consumers a feeling of authenticity and well-being. Below are 7 new applications of sourdough that can grow your business.
Sourdough awareness
Before we dive into the various new sourdough applications, it is important to realize that awareness of sourdough as an ingredient for bread strongly differs between regions. In our Taste Tomorrow consumer survey, we found that 35% of consumers globally are familiar with the naturally leavened dough. Especially in Europe and North America sourdough products are a staple product at bakeries and supermarkets. In South America and the Asia-Pacific region, sourdough is less established with respectively 20% and 18% consumer awareness.
Our online AI data shows that sourdough is a popular topic in the Russian, English and Italian language. German, Portuguese, Spanish and French are in the second tier. Sourdough is mostly discussed in the context of home baking in Russian and Italian, with terms such as ‘fridge’, ‘hands’, ‘hours’ and ‘recipe’. In the English language, we can already see signs of experimentation with sourdough applications besides bread. Among the most discussed sourdough topics are ‘focaccia’, ‘pizza’ and ‘cinnamon’, hinting towards interesting product differentiations.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Puratos Taste Tomorrow
